When I have a blanket in mind, I begin my yarn search with these questions:

Fibre: wool, cotton, acrylic? A blend?

There are good points for and against all fibres, and it comes down to preference. I love wool, or a wool blend, but a lot of people prefer acrylic for its lightness and the fact you can pop it in the washing machine. Summer blankets made of cotton are cool and delicious, and wonderful for light breezes but they won’t keep you warm in the winter.

Weight: is this going to be a lightweight blanket, something to finish fast, or a chunky snuggler?

Crocheting a blanket in a DK or 4ply weight yarn creates quite a lightweight blanket; worsted or aran weight yarn gives a little bit more weight and works up quickly. At the moment there is a fabulous trend for crocheting blankets in chunky and super chunky yarns, and these grow at the speed of light and are wonderful to curl up with in the winter! The chunkier the yarn, the more you will need – but you’ll finish faster!

Colour: does this blanket need a fantastic shade range?

Choosing colours for a project is one of the great thrills of crochet, especially for blanket making. You need to consider your decor (or the recipient’s decor), shade combinations, and building a palette that works and repeats. The yarn you choose needs to work with all those factors. If you have a certain blue in mind, but the yarn in question doesn’t come in that shade, you don’t have to compromise – you can change your yarn!

Price: what can I afford? Is this going to be an heirloom, or just something for the next couple of winters?

This is a big question. Everyone has a different budget for crochet – if you absolutely love acrylic and the colours are fantastic, you have a huge range of choice. If you have a little bit more to spend and you want to invest in a yarn that will survive being passed from family to family, then decide on a per-ball price and stick to it. Your pattern (if you are following one) will tell you how much yarn you need, but you might want to consider the size of your blanket as well, and whether or not the yarn you are choosing is one that will be easy to find if you need more.

Lastly – what have I got in my stash?

The answer to this is nearly always: nothing suitable, I need new yarn!

Our summer sale is a fantastic chance to buy your blanket yarn. We’ve got some fabulous offers, and I’ve had a good rummage to find you some blanket bargains!

DY Choice DK with Wool is a fantastic DK offer – 100g balls with a whopping 40% off! A good range of classic shades with some patterns thrown in – perfect if you’re planning ahead for autumnal blankets. There are over 25 shades including, below, from left to right, Amethyst (328), Charcoal (310) and Fuschia (315).

DY Choice DK with Wool

If you love acrylics and lots of colour choices, you’ll love Cascade Cherub DK. Cascade’s signature shade range is here, with lots of gorgeous pastels and gradients of colour, so if you are dreaming of an ombre ripple blanket, this will be perfect, and 15% makes a big difference when you’re making a blanket! From left to right, Baby Mint (05), Turquoise (12), Peacock (33) and Teal (47).

Staying with Cascade, but going up a yarn weight, glitzy Cascade Hollywood is an aran weight yarn shot through with sparkle. Perfect for a fabulous festive throw for your sofa, and machine washable if someone spills their holiday eggnog! Make an “Elsa” themed blanket for Frozen fans with Imperial Blue (23), or curl up with traditional red and green with Ruby (11) and Lime (20).

If you’re a cotton fan, you will adore Mirasol Pima Kuri – a wonderful worsted weight cotton in zesty, zingy shades wound into 100g hanks. The chainette construction puts paid to any splitting, and the stitch definition is fantastic. Perfect for a summer cotton blanket or throw. The extra long staple fibres in Pima cotton make this yarn strong, lustrous and super soft to the touch. I love these gorgeous brights! From left to right, Bag Piper (15), Hawaiian Vacation (16), Crushed Berries (10), Sunny Side Up (13) and Japanese Maple (07).

And lastly, for a perfectly pastel paintbox, I love Plymouth Yarn Dandelion. It’s an acrylic and cotton blend, that has has a very slight semi-solid finish in the deeper shades – it’s gorgeous for blankets and throws – deliciously cool and machine washable too. Choose from nine shades including, below, from left to right, Denim (2009), Dusty Pink (2008), Yellow (2004), Lime (2005), Lavender (2006).

Make the most of the fabulous summer sale and stock up your stash with blanket bargains!